Six Methow Valley skiiers brought home medals from the 2015 U.S. Winter Biathlon National Championships. From left on risers, Eli Nielsen, Elise Putnam, Paul Everett, and Scott Waichler stand on the podium while Claire Waichler stands in front. (Teammate Kelsey Dickinson is not pictured.)
This article is based on information provided by Wendy Sims.
Several Methow Valley athletes competed in last weekend’s 2015 U.S. Winter Biathlon National Championships at Auburn Ski Club Training Center near Truckee, California.
Continued unseasonably warm weather with frosty nights made for a challenging course on a combination of man-made and reworked snow.
Friday’s race was a sprint format, with three rounds of skiing punctuated by one round (five targets) of prone shooting and one round of standing shooting. Skiers took a short penalty loop for each missed shot.
The Methow Valley Nordic Team (MVNT) was well represented on the podium. In the 6-kilometer youth women’s race, Claire Waichler took gold with a time of 21 minutes, 8.23 seconds, including two misses. Elise Putnam (representing MVNT and Washington National Guard) took second with a time of 22:30.67. In the women’s 7.5K race, Kelsey Dickinson, an MVNT graduate, took second with a time of 24:24.76.
As the only competitor in his age group, MVNT’s Eli Nielsen took gold in the 6K boys’ competition with a time of 22:27.55. Paul Everett won the junior men’s 10K competition in 29:07.31, with two misses. Winthrop resident Scott Waichler won the 7.5K masters men’s competition with a time of 28:15.59.
Saturday’s competition was a pursuit race, with athletes starting at 10-second intervals based on their finish order the previous day. Four rounds of shooting, two prone then two standing, were spaced throughout the skiing.
Nielsen took another gold in the boys’ race, with a time of 29:20.30 for the 7.5K course. Everett again won gold in the junior men’s competition, shooting and skiing 12.5K in a time of 37:01.54. Scott Waichler won a silver medal in the masters men’s competition.
Dickinson grabbed another silver medal, completing the women’s race of 10K in 34:28.41 and missing only three of the 20 targets. Claire Waichler and Putnam again captured gold and silver in the youth women’s event. Their 7.5K race took them 30:55.59 and 32:02.22 respectively.
Complete race results, including the Sunday fun relays, can be found at auburnskiclub.com/biathlon/2015-biathlon-national-championships.
Scott Waichler noted that “the organizers put in an heroic effort to move snow from storage onto the course to allow the races to happen.” Icy conditions persisted on Friday. Saturday’s sunshine turned parts of the course to slush by afternoon.
“This was an important learning experience for Eli since he’d only raced at the club level before,” Waichler said. “Claire and Elise pushed themselves hard on a difficult course. They did a great job pacing themselves into the range for the shooting. Paul did well among all men and is now on his way to the Swedish national biathlon competition. Overall this was a fantastic opportunity for the kids to participate with other competitors from across the country and to mix with elite athletes in the sport.”
